How to Enable Ray Tracing in Minecraft

You probably never guessed it, but the trendy game titled Minecraft got a 2022 upgrade in terms of realism. It's called ray tracing, and it was introduced by the famous chipmaker Nvidia. Although originally intended for PC gamers, ray tracing will be available for the Xbox Series X as part of the new Minecraft RTX.

Here's how to enable ray tracing in Minecraft.

What is ray tracing?

To understand how to enable ray tracing in Minecraft, you must first understand what ray tracing is.

Yes, it's a relatively obscure term that not all gamers are aware of, but it affects your gaming life unless your game of choice is Solitaire.

The representation of light and shadow in video games has always been somewhat problematic, and so have digital sound effects (SFX). It seems like the hardest thing about achieving top notch realism is in this department. Until recently, a game had to "guess" to represent lighting as accurately as possible.

Nvidia recently introduced new ray tracing technology based on its innovative RTX chipsets. Ray tracing makes for beautiful lighting in games, regardless of genre. And so, Minecraft enthusiasts have something to look forward to.

RTX in Minecraft

Enabling ray tracing in Minecraft isn't something that requires fiddling with hardware and software, it's as simple as installing the appropriate version of the game.

Specifically, Minecraft RTX. Yes, enabling ray tracing in Minecraft is as easy as downloading, installing and running the new version of Minecraft.

How to Enable Ray Tracing in Minecraft on Windows 10 PC

As mentioned, enabling ray tracing in Minecraft requires Minecraft RTX to be installed. However, in terms of compatibility, Minecraft RTX is exclusive. You'll need Windows 10, and that's the only option right now.

To activate Minecraft RTX, you need to install “ Minecraft for Windows 10, the latest PC client for Minecraft. Here's how to install Minecraft for Windows 10.

1. Click on " Start. »
   
2. type “Microsoft Store”.
   
3. The Microsoft Store app starts. Go to the app's search bar and type “Minecraft for Windows 10.”
   
4. Buy the game and install it like you would any other app. You can also check out the free trial.

Minecraft for Windows 10 will not automatically enable ray tracing in-game, even after installing the latest version. You must install the Xbox Insider Hub to enable RTX functionality. Find and install the app in the Microsoft Store. Once the app is installed, here's how to enable ray tracing.

1. Run the Xbox Insider Hub app.
   
2. Click the " menu icon » (hamburger icon) and select “Insider Content” located on the left side of the screen.
   
3. Click on “Minecraft for Windows 10” found under "Games".
   
4. Select " To rejoin " to be part of the Windows 10 Beta experience.
   
5. From the list of options that appear, select "Minecraft for Windows 10 RTX Beta", then click " Ended. »
   

Now RTX Beta should be automatically installed and applied to your Minecraft for Windows 10 build. Yes, this walkthrough enables ray tracing for you.

Notes: Switching to Minecraft RTX removed all Minecraft worlds. So make sure you have made your backups first.

How to Enable Ray Tracing in Minecraft on an Xbox One

Unfortunately, Minecraft RTX is exclusive to Windows 10 for Nvidia RTX graphics card users. Silence has become Mojang's focus, particularly due to the challenges of introducing ray tracing to XBOX ONE S/X consoles with AMD RDNA 2 GPUs.

Regardless of the current status of ray tracing on Minecraft XBOX One S/X, there's always a chance the technology will succeed in the future. After all, AMD is also advancing with ray tracing.

How to Enable Ray Tracing in Minecraft on an Android or iPhone

Ten years ago, we did not expect to have more complex video games on smartphones. This has of course changed, as we have much more complex games than Minecraft on our handhelds. So, can you get Minecraft RTX for your iOS or Android device? No, at least not for now. Ray tracing requires modern graphics behemoths, and smartphone and tablet technology is still a long way off.

What else should I do?

You might want to make sure you have everything set up correctly for ray tracing. It is, after all, an advanced and demanding feature. So, the first thing you need to do after installing and activating Minecraft RTX is to update your Nvidia GPU drivers. Here's how.

1. Go to the official Nvidia website and download the “Google GeForce Experience” for Windows 10, then install it.
2. Launch the GeForce Experience app.
3. Navigate to "Drivers" tongue.
4. The application suggests to automatically install the latest drivers. If not, check for updates using the appropriate button at the top right of the app.

Once your graphics drivers are up to date, you are ready to enjoy Minecraft RTX!

Enable or disable ray tracing

Provided you have done everything correctly and your computer is powerful enough, you can freely enable or disable this feature at any time.

1. Go to " Settings " in Minecraft.
2. Then select “Advanced Video”.
3. Click on “DirectX ray tracing”.
4. Activate it

Alternatively, to toggle ray tracing on and off on the fly, use the semicolon key (;) on your keyboard.

Notes: Not all Minecraft worlds support ray tracing, only RTX compatible worlds at the moment. You will find different choices in the Minecraft Marketplace. You can also use your ray tracing compatible resource pack.

Minimum system requirements for Minecraft ray tracing

You should think about your particular graphics card if you want to run Minecraft RTX. As you've been warned, ray tracing is a very resource-intensive feature. According to Nvidia, you should opt for the GeForce RTX 2060 or newer if you want things to run smoothly. With that information in mind, here is a list of RTX compatible graphics cards.

1. GeForce RTX 2060
2. GeForce RTX 2060 Super
3. GeForce RTX 2070
4. GeForce RTX 2070 Super
5. GeForce RTX 2080
6. GeForce RTX 2080 Super
7. GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
8. Titan RTX

However, having any of the above still doesn't mean things will go well. Your system specs will influence how the game behaves. So here's what you can consider a minimum.

1. Intel Core i5 10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
2. Corsair DDR4 RAM 16 GB or 32 GB
3. SSD Samsung 860 EVO 250 Go ou SSD Samsung 970 EVO 250 Go

In addition to a supported GPU with Windows 10 Home 64-bit, the above configuration should be considered the minimum requirements to properly run Minecraft RTX. Go any lower and you risk frame drops.

Is it worth it?

If you're a big fan of Minecraft, you might find the idea a bit odd. After all, Minecraft is not about graphics but pure gaming fun. However, after trying Minecraft RTX, you are bound to fall in love. Ray-tracing technology makes even this basic-looking game look beautiful. Lighting, shadows, everything is perfect.

If you have the right build, you don't have to buy the game. Try the free trial and decide later if you want to spend $30.

If you don't have the right setup, however, you might not feel inclined to upgrade. However, newer game versions will use ray tracing; it is destined to become the industry standard. Therefore, upgrading may be something you want to consider.

As long as you have the right hardware components and are willing to spend $30, you can enable ray tracing in Minecraft. It's not too complicated either. It's just a matter of downloading and installing two apps from the Microsoft Store and making some changes to them. If you want to try it, you can try the trial version and decide for yourself if you like it.

Have you managed to enable ray tracing for Minecraft on your computer? Do you like it so far? Let us know your experiences with ray tracing in the comments below.

Additional FAQ

What does Minecraft use ray tracing?

Ray tracing in Minecraft is no different than ray tracing in any game. The technology is used to render graphics in a way that bounces light off objects in the game. guesswork from the past, ray tracing works on its own, performing all lighting functions in real time. This, of course, is very hardware intensive, which is why a completely new Minecraft has been released – Minecraft RTX.

Is ray tracing a big deal?

Yes, ray tracing is huge business for the future of PC and console gaming. It is said that this technology is set to become standard in all the next big games. Currently, only a certain number of GPUs can support the technology. Games and consoles still have a long way to go to effectively use ray tracing technology.